Jerry Springer to bring family fun to Price is Right show in Newport News

Jerry Springer says one thing about his visit to Newport News this week: Audience members will certainly have more teeth than his regular show guests.

The iconic television star will host "The Price is Right" stage show at The Ferguson Center for the Arts in Newport News Saturday. For two shows — the 7:30 p.m. show is sold out — Springer will make jokes, call down audience members to compete for prizes and entertain in what he promises will be a family friendly atmosphere.

"The fun thing about these shows is that there really is no script, aside from the rules of the game," Springer says. "I just enjoy performing in front of a live audience. Truthfully, this is just an excuse for me to do comedy."

Like the televised version of "The Price is Right," audience members will try to guess accurate price points for various consumer products. The stage show will not be aired on television, and the prizes are slightly different, although most of the game rules are the same.

During the 90-minute show, more than 50 audience members are called — at random — to compete in a game or receive instant-win prizes, according to show producers.

Dressing up or making signs is part of the show's fun, producers say, but it won't increase your chances of being chosen to play.

"Four new contestants are called to 'come on down' after each game, while on TV it is only one new contestant," says Jeff Palmer, executive producer of the show. "Three new players are called to spin the big wheel, while on TV it is previous winners that are spinning the wheel. At the end of the show we give everyone in the audience a chance to spin the big wheel for a nominal fee. It includes a 'Price is Right' T-shirt."

For Springer, who still tapes "The Jerry Springer Show" every week, "The Price is Right" stage show is a chance to interact with an audience and do something a bit different. He plans to tour with the stage show at other locations around the country.

"It's almost that the game becomes secondary. It's like a party," he says. "The people that are called up, some of them have really wild personalities. I think that's why this show has lasted forever. Consumers are the experts. It's a universal skill. And everyone can empathize with that person on stage."

Want to go?

What: "The Price is Right" stage show

Where: The Ferguson Center for the Arts, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News